Rose Weasley and the Crystal Penseive Book 1
by Iced Roses 13
Summary: Dad always told me not to get to friendly with him. Now we’re best mates. Who knew how much trouble could center around Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy? Of course, it had to be *me* to first find out...
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Rose Weasley and the Crystal Pensieve-Book 1**

**Summary: Dad always told me not to get to friendly with him. Now we're best friends. Who knew how much trouble could center around Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy? **

**Rated: T**

**Authors Note: I know that Hugo is two years younger than Rose, but since this is my story, they are going to be twins. So please don't kill me! **

**Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Harry Potter, or any of the characters/settings within. So, please, put the gun down, and don't sue me!**

**Chapter One**

"If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you," my dad said, a smirk flitting across his face, "but no pressure."  
"_Ron!" _My mother sighed, exasperated. As expected, he totally ignored her, much to her annoyance.

Hugo, my twin brother, laughed, nodding in agreement. "Don't worry, Dad, we wouldn't be caught dead in any other house! Imagine, a _Weasley _in Slytherin!"

"So that's little Scorpius," Dad suddenly burst out, looking over my shoulder. I craned around to see the focus of his random outburst. A family of three stood stiffly and awkwardly among the throng; two were pale enough to be ghosts from their hair to their eyes, while the third had shockingly black hair twisted on the top of her head.

"Who are they, Daddy?" I asked, turning back to him. He didn't answer, but stared malevolently at the trio.

Under his breath, he hissed, "Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains,"  
"Ron, for heaven's sake," said my mum, half stern, half amused. "Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!"  
"You're right, sorry," said Dad, but obviously unable to help himself, he added, "Don't get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a Malfoy."

Ah. So that's who the perpetrators were. I'd heard stories of the father, Draco, from my uncle Harry; Malfoy-bashing seemed to be a favorite pastime of my family. Apparently, he married a girl, Astoria Greengrass, whose father was largely known as a man who claimed to be under the Imperius curse for five years. She must be the night-haired woman with a slender arm around the small boy, Scorpius.

Mum stopped me from studying the grim family further by giving me a big kiss on the cheek-which was hastily wiped off as soon as she turned away-and pushing me into Dad's arms. After giving me one last squeeze, they proceeded to attack Hugo. He blushed a crimson red, clashing with the red hair obviously inherited from Dad's side.

"_Mum! _There are people watching, you know! Gerrroff!" Rolling my eyes, I struggled to lift my trunk and made my discreet way towards the train. I turned and waved at my parents one last time before clambering into the car.

* * *

"If you excuse me, I have no place to sit. May I?" said an obnoxiously upper-class voice. Sighing, I raised my eyes from my book, only to meet the pale, pointed face of a _Malfoy. _Something was niggling at the back of my mind that perhaps I should just kick him out of the compartment and be done with it, but the part of my mind that wanted to know more about this mysterious family took over.

Pasting on a sticky smile, I beckoned the boy in. He sat gingerly, as if the seat might burn him or something.

"So….where're your trunks?" I asked after a rather awkward silence.

"Well, my house-elf, Nelsa, put them in the luggage car…" and add on a _duh _to the end of that sentence and you have a perfect example of what Dad talks about _every bloody day. _Malfoy-speak. He raised his eyebrows at me, and turned to look out at the lush landscape flitting by.

I tried again to make conversation, "So, you are Scorpius Malfoy, right? Your mom has really nice…uh, hair!" Mentally slapping myself, I stared at him, my eyes wide and innocent.

"Mmm…and you are…? I thought I recognized your face, but I'm not sure…"

"Rose. Rose Weasley," I said, sticking out my hand. He eyed it for a minute, and then his face broke out in a grin.

"Nice to meet you and all that," he said as he let go of my hand, "So you're one of the famous Weasleys. My dad always told me not to talk to you (no offence or anything) I guess it makes this all the more fun." I changed my mind. I was definitely starting to like this boy.

"I know how you feel. My dad says the same things about Malfoys. By the way, you can call me Rosie, if you want; almost everyone does." He nodded, and pointed at my book.

"Watchya reading?" I stumbled for a second; I had totally forgotten that I had been reading no less than five minutes ago.

"Well, it's a Muggle book, you probably wouldn't recognize it. It's called _Magyk_. It's really amazing, you know, what Muggles believe magic is. They can't even spell it right, for Merlin's sake! Here," I tossed him the book at his apparent look of confusion. He caught it deftly, flipping it open with an open look of distaste. I was saved from a most likely snarky comment by a bustling witch in a flowered apron; the trolley cart! Scorpius and I exchanged smiles, and suddenly we were wrestling to get there before the other. Oh, yes. I had a feeling this was going to be a wonderful friendship.

**Well, there you are! First chapter done—Ima try to get the next chapter up today. Now, do you see that little green button at the bottom of the screen? Let me give you a tip: click it! Oh, yeah, and since I know you are going to be wondering this, but Hugo's absence is going to be explained next chapter. Don't worry, im not negligent of my characters! **

**~ Beka **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

By the time we were close enough to Hogwarts, Scorpius and I had already become rather good friends. After stuffing ourselves over Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans (Scorpius reckons he got a bogie flavored one-I _knew_ that Uncle Fred wasn't lying) and me smacking him for teasing me heatedly about my incredibly bushy auburn hair, I guess we both decided that our parents were complete liars. Or had a horrible problem with holding grudges.

Once we got off the train, we were cackling madly from too much sugar intake and our new robes were dusted in a light film of crumbs. "Father is going to _kill _me when he finds out I have already stained my new robes. He got these hand-tailored at Madam Malkins!" I sniggered at the state of his robes, which, indeed, had a large orange spot spreading along the trim from the puddle of pumpkin juice we left on the floor of the compartment.

"Oh, _do _shut up, you great—"

But he was interrupted by a great, gravelly voice echoing from the end of the platform, "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! Attention firs' years!" I practically squealed with delight—Hagrid! He had visited every summer for tea at least once a month, always bringing the most _disgusting _rock cakes and a happy mood with him. Abandoning Scorpius, I sprinted towards him, to envelope him in a large hug. Al and James, my cousins, were already there. Before I could even say a small 'hello,' James ran off towards the carriages, waving at a pretty girl down the path a bit. Flicking y hand half-heartedly at him, I turned towards Albus, who looked at me with an insecure flicker in his green eyes.

"Rosie, what if the Sorting Hat says I'm not welcome at Hogwarts? What if I'm a Squib? What will I do then?" He bit his lip nervously, looking up at me.

"Oh, Al, don't worry. You are the son of Harry Potter. 'The Boy Who Lived,' remember? You will be just as amazing as him. Alright?" he nodded, though his face was still a slight tinge of green. He looked up at Hagrid, who was beaming down at his boarhound, Fang, and back at me. Smiling to myself, I turned away to find Scorpius, when I remembered—Hugo!

"Hey, Al, have you seen my idiot brother recently? I got on the train before him, and haven't seen him since. I would've expected him to be here with Hagrid, but he's not, as you can see. Well, have you seen him?" Al shook his head regretfully, and turned back to Hagrid. Sighing, I turned to look for him, but there was no sign of the boy.

Most twins never left each other's side. Most twins knew each other like they knew themselves. Most twins had the uncanny ability to _find each other in large crowds!_

"Hey, who ya looking for?" a smooth voice hissed in my ear. I jumped nearly a foot in the air, twisted violently around, and came face-to-face with Scorpius. He was smirked in delight at my apparently _funny _reaction. I glared in his direction for a moment, planning on doing a very suave hair flip and back-turning, and was just getting started on the former when—

"Looking for me?" an equally smooth voice whispered in my other ear. I yelped, leapt around, and raised my hand to smack upside the head whoever did it this time. Luckily, I paused to look before I swung, for who could it be standing there but my _darling _brother Hugo?

"Why—you—where did you—how—HUGO!" I spluttered, glaring spitefully at his gleeful face. He shrugged in the incredibly annoying way of his, and stared with innocently wide eyes at me.

"Where _were _you?! I haven't seen you since we left the station!"

"My dear sister, I was with James. He was telling me about all these hidden passageways he found last year; we already have a whole thing planned! He even said this ghost called Peeves was in on it!" I nodded, eyebrows raised. _Good luck with that, Hugo…._ "And who is this, Rosie?" he continued, gesturing towards the smirking fellow behind me. Merlin, I'd forgotten about Scorpius!

"Oh, yeah, this is Scorpius Malfoy, we met on the train. And before you jump to any conclusions, whatever Daddy has told you about them, he is actually relatively decent!" Looking suspicious, Hugo stepped forward to investigate this new prodigy. "Oh, and Hugo, before you go messing around with James, please remember that he almost got expelled last year, and the year before!" When Hugo ignored me completely, and Scorpius began an animated discussion about the Chudley Cannons, I decided to act on my previously forgotten suave hair flip and stalked away, swearing to myself when I realized that Hagrid was making the mass of other first years migrate down towards the lake. The two boys noticed, too, for the next moment, something hit my shoulder, and Scorpius yelled at me,

"Race you to the bank!" Forgetting my previously exasperated mood, I sprinted down after him and my brother, laughing and stumbling all the way.

_**Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter **__**hat**__** than me.  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your tops hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can **__**cap**__** them all.  
There's nothing hidden in your head  
The Sorting **__**Hat**__** can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be**_

_**I could tell you you belong in Slytherin**_

_**Where the cunning and the sly**_

_**Reside therein**_

_**Or maybe Ravenclaw**_

_**Is just where you are suited**_

_**Where the quick of mind and love of learning**_

_**Is quite greatly saluted**_

_**And then there is Gryffindor**_

_**Where dwell the brave at heart**_

_**Their nobility and loyalty**_

_**sets them far apart**_

_**But we must not forget dear Hufflepuff**_

_**The kindest of the lot**_

_**Patience is their virtue**_

_**And a love that cant be bought**_

_**But new lyrics**_

_**Are added to the song this year**_

_**Mystery and confusion**_

_**Though not new to us, I fear**_

_**Is falling down upon us**_

_**Four chosen, new again to you**_

_**Withhold a great new task**_

_**For only they, these four**_

_**Can rid the school of horrors past**_

_**Beware, have faith**_

_**Wipe the dust off the memory shelf**_

_**For how well don't we know**_

_**History repeats itself**_

Such was the Sorting Hats' song, followed by tumultuous applause and much whispering. Indeed, it _was _odd. Four chosen? And what did they mean by history repeating itself?

"This sounds kind of dodgy, if you ask me. Wipe the dust off the memory shelf? Oh, bugger," Scorpius whispered to me, laughter underlining his words.

"Oh, come on, history repeats itself? That's the most cliché line I have ever heard, even if it _is _coming from a hat," I replied. However, the both of us snapped our mouths shut when we heard a scraping of chairs from the staff table.

A tired and grayed-looking woman, who had introduced herself to us as Professor Vogel; our Transfiguration teacher and head of Gryffindor house (according to Dad, she had taken over for the schools Headmistress, Professor McGonagall, some years back) stepped forwards, a long scroll of parchment trailing from her hands.

"Now," she began in a crisp, but oddly kind voice, "I shall read your names, one by one, from this list. When you hear your name called, you will sit on this stool here, and I shall place the Hat on your head. When your House is decided, you shall proceed to that table where you will eat for the remainder of your time at Hogwarts. Ready, everyone? Alright, then. Achtien, Gerta!"

A tall, rather stretched looking girl swayed forwards; with her long swishing blonde hair to accompany the look, she rather reminded me of a willow tree. I relayed this information on to Scorpius, who merely nodded in agreement, though I noticed his mouth twitch slightly. After Achtien, Gerta swayed over to the Ravenclaw table and Allen, Sara was called forth, I had stopped paying attention all together. The list went on and on; I was almost falling asleep on my feet by the time "Malfoy, Scorpius!" was called. I threw him a not-so-discreet thumbs up, but he had all the confidence in the world. He positively _knew _where he was going to be; Slytherin. His whole family, except for a few Unspeakables, had been in Slytherin, he had told me earlier that day.

Before the worn old cap had even touched his head, it sang out, "Ah! Another Malfoy! I think I know exactly where you should go! But what is this? Does something separate you from your predecessors'? Ah, there it is! Hm, well, I have changed my mind! You shall be in….GRYFFINDOR!" Scorpius went slack jawed, and the whole hall went silent as if waiting for someone to yell, 'April fools!' When it was apparent that no such thing would happen, the Gryffindors broke out into cautious applause as its' newest member took a surprised seat.

By the time Hugo was called up, Scorpius seemed to be adjusting to the new surroundings quickly enough. He wasn't exactly _grimacing, _per say, but wasn't looking overjoyed to be there. Al, who had been sorted only a few minutes after, was sitting across from him, and the two seemed to be getting on pretty well.

I was so distracted by Scorpius that when my name was called, several people poking me in the back to get me to move. Suddenly, butterflies exploded in my stomach, and I was horribly reminded of how Al must have felt for the past two weeks. As I sat on the stool, and Professor Vogel placed the musty smelling hat on my head, I could feel a hot blush creeping up my cheeks.

I could feel a breathe of wind on my neck…the hat was moving, twisting my head so I could view the whole hall. A deep voice, reminiscent of many many years, whispered in my right ear, and then my left, as if an old man was standing right behind me. I had a small inclination to turn and look, though I knew It was only the Sorting Hat speaking.

"_Rose Weasley…Its' been too long since I have seen one of you. Hmm, lots of bravery, yes, and I see an astonishing amount of loyalty towards your friends….much of your father in you, I see, and a brain fit for Lady Ravenclaw herself…but not enough love for learning. There is no doubt where you belong…_

"_GRYFFINDOR!"_

I sighed in relief, happiness spreading from my head to my toes. For a moment, as I was struggling up the steps, I had had a brief image of the Hat saying I was a Squib and the only hope for me was to be apprenticed to old Filch. Thank Merlin _that _dream didn't come true.

"Oh, Father is going to be _furious! _I wouldn't be surprised if he paid Professor McGonagall to switch me into Slytherin! Mother might just disown me—nobody in the family has ever been anywhere else! Aw, Rosie, what am I going to tell them?" Scorpius moans to his chocolate mousse; this was the first time he had spoken since the food had appeared ten minutes ago.

"Well, you could always tell them you had a sudden fit of self identification and decided to turn over a new leaf, you know. I am sure old Daddy Draco wouldn't mind in the least, just as long as you don't dye your hair purple."

It made some improvement on his grim mood; his grey-green eyes lit up and the corner of his mouth turned up.

"Don't tell him that, Rosie! I think a nice lavender would go excellently with that pallid complexion," Hugo cackled, reaching over me to fluff up the other boys' hair. I couldn't help giggling at the way it stuck up, in a most ridiculous fashion—I could hear Al snorting into his hot chocolate as well.

"May I ask _what _is so funny?" Scorpius asked, that stuck-up lilt coming back to his voice. He raised his head, trying to make himself look taller.

"Why, Scorpy, I don't know why you didn't notice, but you look like a duck." I stated this simply, managing to keep a straight face before cracking up completely.

**2****nd**** chapter done! If any of you are amazing writers, can you give me a few tips on concluding sentences? I have a huge problem with that….haha. Remember, people, review! I had 32 hits on my 1****st**** chapter yesterday, and how many people reviewed? One. Come on, people! **

**Avanell~thanks! I'm glad you like it, keep reading! **

**EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ok so i know i havent updated in a while and I probably wont for a while. My grandma just broke her hip, and seeing as she is my gaurdian things have been hugely hectic. This is the first time ive been able to get any time on the computer for several weeks. I AM NOT GOING TO ABANDON THIS STORY! As soon as i get any free time, i will continue posting. So im extremely sorry, but dont give up on me!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Finally found some time to crank this out; hopefully tonight I'll be able to get started on Chapter 4, maybe even finish it! Doubtful though, depends on how energetic the voice in my head, Jaimy, is :) **

**Chapter 3**

On the third Monday that I had been at Hogwarts, I believe I learned three very important things: that History of Magic was the worst and most pointless thing I had ever or would ever participate in, never to attempt at dyeing anything that belongs to a Malfoy pink, and that Hugo could come in very handy when you wanted an adventure.

Scorpius had been wavering in and out grim mood since the day after the sorting whence he had received a malicious Howler from his mother. She had made it plain that he was a disgrace to his family and that she would be damned if he ever set foot on her doorstep ever again. Thankfully, his father had calmed the storm a bit with a second letter, promising that his son was always welcome at home and to be brave. Apparently, Draco Malfoy had lost some of his earlier prejudices, and, at the moment, just wanted his son to get good grades.

This hope was lost on Professor Binns class, however. Within five minutes of our first class everyone was either daydreaming, passing notes, or in me and Scorpius's case, playing Electric Poker under the table. This carried on for approximately two weeks before Binns caught us in the act, and assigned us seats across the room from each other.

This consequenced in extreme levels of boredom, as I had no-one to talk to and Hugo often skipped class anyway. Therefore, on that fateful Monday-a rainy, dreary day- I decided to have some fun. Seeing as Scorpius was only a few rows ahead of me, and sitting on the aisle, he was in perfect aim for a charm or jinx. Keeping a wary eye on the droning ghost, I slipped my wand from my knee-sock (where I had taken to keeping it recently) and pointed it at my friend.

"_Auricofucus_ _adfectio_," I whispered with glee, watching as a small spot of red flamed up in the back of his head. Slowly, the spot spread, the colour thinning out to a light but raucous pink. The two Ravenclaws perched behind him were beginning to snigger behind their hands.

_Oh, if only Hugo were here to see this…_

Slowly, Scorpius seemed to realize that the badly muffled snickers were aimed at him, and he reached a tentative hand to the back of his pink head. This caused an uproar in the laughter, and just as Scorpius turned around to yell, "Bloody hell, shut up, you lot!" Professor Binns looked up from his ghostly parchment to scold the disruptive class. Instead, he gave a mighty start, and declared,

"My word! Mr. Malfoy, my dear boy, what has been done to your hair?!" Shock slowly spread through the bewitched boys face. He snatched a hand mirror from the bag of the girl next to him, positively screaming when he saw the damage.

"Mr. Malfoy, I daresay go down to Professor Flitwick at once! You may take one person with you," He added as the boy bolted from the class. Scorpius whipped around, roughly grabbed me arm, and dragged me from the classroom.

By this time, my laughter had died down a bit, but traces of it were still left on my face.

"YOU!" he bellowed, pointing an accusing finger at me, "_You _did this! You coloured my hair _pink! _My _hair!" _The last part was said in utter horror, as if it was worse than an Unforgivable curse.

"Well, I'm sorry, but at least it disrupted the monotone for a bit. Say, lets get you fixed up. Flitwick has a class right now, so as much as I'm sure that you want to show off your brilliant new do, I know someone who can fix it better. And in private, to boot."

A sour look crossed his pointed features, and he narrowed his eyes at me. Crossing his arms a defiantly, he turned at walked towards Gryffindor tower, throwing over his shoulder,

"If this "someone" does anything more to ruin my previously perfect hair I will be extremely mad. You don't like me when I'm mad." _Sure, Scorpius, whatever sinks your boat…._

Eventually, after much complaining on his part, I dragged the be-pinked boy down to the kitchens, where I knew Hugo would be holed up. He had shown me the way only once, and he in turn had learned the way from James.

"Tickle the pear, right under the stem," I told a bemused Scorpius, who leapt back in surprise when the portrait slowly swung open. We were in the basement, only a few corridors along from the Hufflepuff common room. I smiled to myself when we entered the warm cavern. The house-elves bustled around, preparing lunch for the school; a welcoming aroma of baking bread washed over us. And sure enough, perched on the corner of a wooden cooking table, surrounded by different kinds of cookies and pastries, was my twin.

"Why, hello there, Rosie. I see you've brought the—Merlin's pants, Scorpy, what the bugger did you do to your hair?!" Hugo slid from his seat and rushed over to inspect the locks of my friend, who mouthed at me, _You brought me to _him_? _I shrugged, saying to _him_,

"So, do you think you can fix it? I would have, but Flitwick hasn't taught us the counterjinx, you know. I figured, since you hang around James so much recently, you would know." Looking over his subject of inspections' shoulder, Hugo raised a slim eyebrow at me.

"Rosie, you are the smartest girl I know. How could you not think of just changing his hair colour back to that silver-white? Just charm it again."

Needless to say, I was gaping like a fish. Why had I not thought of that before? _What would Mum Say? Bloody hell… _

Hugo drew his sycamore wand to perform the charm, but I bustled him out of the way, determined to make it right myself.

"Oh, _move, _there you go. Ok, here we go. _Auricomus Adfectio." _In less than a few seconds, the silken silver colour spread back, and Scorpius examined his reflection in the back of a shiny pot. He gave a satisfied smirk, turned aristocratically, and—_Oof! _

Suddenly, I was on the ground, with the wind completely knocked out of me. I wriggled, trying to get out from under the weight on my stomach. Something smacked me in the face, and my foot came into contact with something soft, accompanied by a soft yelp.

"_Scorpius..!_" I growled, shoving him off of me. He rolled onto his back, panting,

"Well…I have to say…you deserved it…" I merely grunted, already feeling the bruises on my backside forming from the flagstone floor. Hugo pulled me up, laughing at my disheveled appearance.

"Well, now that you two are done scrapping, what say you we take the rest of the day off? At least until Transfiguration—Vogel would be downright cranky if anyone missed her class."

Though the idea appealed, I still couldn't stand the thought of missing class without a purpose. Mum wouldn't have heard of it, though Dad might have been a bit more encouraging…

"Hugo, I dunno, I mean, what if Professor Binns lets slip to Flitwick about the situation with Scorpius's hair? If he finds out that we weren't there—"

"And that is where you are wrong. Professor Binns never leaves his office unless its' to talk to a student. I daresay Flitwick has never said more than five words to him," came a bored voice from the floor. Scorpius was sitting cross-legged, picking invisible lint from his robes. I stared at him for a moment, thinking hard.

"Oh—oh, alright. _But just this once! _And if you two get us killed, or worse, _expelled, _you'll never hear the end of it from me!"

Clapping a jolly hand on my shoulder, my brother explained how he had just discovered a new passage, down in the dungeons, and how it was _imperative_ for us to see it.

"Its' near Slughorn's office, you know, down one more level. It's so cool! It's all dark and stuff, and when you walk, the torches light up, and at the very end, there's this big iron door—I haven't gone in it yet because I wanted somebody with me, you know, just in case, and—well, you can just see for yourself," Hugo's face was lit with excitement, and he was already tugging on my sleeve.

"Well, Rosie," Scorpius began, when I looked at his place on the ground, "I say we go and see. Who knows, we might find some old relic or something from The Second War. Maybe an old hideaway for the Death Eaters!" Suddenly, he seemed very excited as well—the big history dork—and it appeared as if I were overruled.

"Oh, fine. But if we get expelled it'll—"

"Be on our heads, yeah yeah we know! Can we go already?" my twin interrupted, tugging at his shoulder length red hair. _Wow, Mum was right when she said he would start looking like a girl if Dad let it grow any longer…_I thought randomly to myself as I watched him swirl around towards the door.

With a grunt, my best friend pulled himself up from the floor, almost tugging me down as he did so. Smirking, we trotted ahead to keep up with our guide.

* * *

"Woah…"

"Holy…"

"Told you, didn't I?"

At the end of the torch-lit passage was, just as Hugo said, a large wrought-iron door. Carved into the metal were runes of some kind and tiny pictures; the handle was the neck and head of a dragon extending from one of the scenes. The lock was imbedded in a sea of flames flowing from the serpents' mouth.

Scorpius reached out a tentative hand to clasp the handle, but I slapped it before he could touch it.

"Don't do that!" I said at his incredulous look, "What if it's charmed, or something? In the least it could be locked! Here, let me," I drew my wand from its' usual place in my sock, brandishing it threateningly at the door.

"_Alohomora!" _One click from the door, and it swung open a few inches.

"Alohomora?" Scorpius and Hugo said at once, staring at me as if I were a llama in a tuxedo or something. I rolled my eyes.

"Standard Book Of Spells, chapter 8! Mum made me read it before I left; she said it helped her immensely in her first year at school."

"Then why didn't she make _me _read it, sister?" my brother said, an accusatory lilt to his voice.

"Honestly, Hugo, when could we ever get you to read _anything _besides Quidditch Through The Ages?" Scorpius was watching this whole exchange with a funny snigger painted on his face. Snickering, he pointed to the door.

"Well, you two, I don't know about you, but I want to go explore some more. We only have about half an hour till Transfiguration, according to my watch, and it took us almost fifteen minutes to find this place. I'm going in, are you coming or not?"

Annoyed with Hugo, I nodded curtly and shoved my way past the two boys, stepping into the shadows.

"_Lumos_" I whispered, quoting The Standard Book of Spells once again. The bright orb of light revealed a wide, circular room, papered in gold of all things! The carpet was soft and clean, as far as I could tell. The room was devoid of any furniture, except for three royal blue footstools placed at intervals around the walls. Mirrors glinted as well; the three were placed in the wall space between each seat. A chandelier with drips of wax still left on the candelabra hung from the high ceiling, the crystals clicking from the draft of the newly opened door.

"Oh, because this is so inetersting! We took so much time, and we just come upon an abandoned sitting room! I mean, how—"

"Hugo," Scorpius interrupted from my left; he lifted a pale hand and pointed towards one of the mirrors. "You didn't notice the other door, did you? Dolt."

Indeed, there was a very obscure doorknob peeking from behind one of the crimson curtains on the side of the far left mirror.

The two boys stared, looked from one to the other, until Hugo said,

"Well, you noticed it first, so you get to open it."

Pursing his lips and puffing out his chest like a snow-white peacock, the Malfoy boy strode forward, wand out, arm outstretched. As he approached the door, it began to rattle suspiciously. This did not deter the boy, and the closer he got, the more it shook. As he neared it, and pulled back the curtains, the ordinary wooden door slowly began to emit a black…fog, of sorts. Scorpius coked his head, and reached out to touch it.

"No!" I called, starting forwards. But it was too late. A loud zapping sound echoed…sparks flew from the boys fingers as he fell back….the door began to emit a horrific screaming…the curtains snapped shut…Scorpius lay unmoving on the pearly carpet…Hugo called out and turned to flee…

I almost dropped my wand as I ran forwards, almost diving to grab Scorpius… The screaming was ringing in my ears; it made my skull ache... I seized my friends shoulders and dragged him across the spacious floor; when we got to the door at long last, I simply fell out, lashing at the door with my foot as I did so. It slammed shut, creating a deafening silence marred by only our breathing. Hugo sank dwon the wall, his eyes wide with shock.

I retrieved my wand; it had gone rolling when I had dived. As soon as I had it in my palm I performed the only locking spell I knew, sighing when I heard the click.

Scorpius still lay unmoving on the floor; his fingers were blistering and burned. His hawthorn wand was still clutched in his left hand. I bent over him, willing him to wake up. When nothing happened, even after I tried talking to him, I simply slapped him as hard as I could.

He jerked up, almost hyperventilating. He scuttled back from me on his bottom until his back hit the wall; he was babbling almost incoherently.

"its' alright, man, it's alright! It's just me, just Rosie! Calm down!" I said, preparing to deliver another smack about his face. At the sound of my voice Scorpius's head seemed to clear, and his breathing slowed down a bit.

"What…what in the name of Merlins' pants happened?" he gasped, staring at his now swelling fingers.

"Well, you went to touch that door—I yelled at you not to, but it was too late—and suddenly there was this like, screaming and—"

"And this black smog stuff came sifting out, and you fell, and Rosie ran in to grab you cause you obviously blacked out, and I ran out and we shut the door and now everything has calmed down a bit," Hugo said matter-of-factly, his shock dissipating as quickly as steam released into the air.

"I—I don't remember anything after touching the door. I remember this sharp, sizzling sensation through my fingers, and then this intense pain and a burning smell…and then, nothing!" Scorpius continued to investigate his fingers before shoving them in his mouth to cool them off.

"Why, it sounds like you've been electrocuted!" I exclaimed; the thought had popped into my head quite suddenly, but it all made perfect sense!

"Yeah, you're right! Like, remember when Dad got electrocuted, messing around with Mums' toaster? He stuck a fork in it, remember?" Hugo said eagerly, kneeling forwards a bit.

The injured boy, however, was looking at us like we were insane. His eyebrows nearly reached his hairline they had shot up so fast, and his eyes suggested that he was trying to work out a rather difficult crossword puzzle.

"What do you mean, elecmo-thingied?"

Laughing at his rendition of the new word, I explained, "_Electrocuted. _It's a Muggle thing; wizards can't be because we don't have electricity. It's like getting a severe shock, like you were hit by…lighting or something," I was trying to find a suitable metaphor for the situation, but nothing really came out.

"Hugo," I began, turning towards him, but he spoke before I could.

"No, Rosie. No way are we reporting this to Professor Vogel! Just think, we'd have to explain how we got here in the first place, and that's way too much trouble than it's worth."

"But what if it's dangerous? I mean, like that story Uncle Harry and Mum told us bout the troll—they fought one in first year, remember? And they weren't supposed to be there! They could have been killed!"

As usual, however, nobody agreed with me, and I was stuck grumbling to myself dejectedly as we made our way back up to the Transfig. classroom.

The voices in my head were having a battle of wills, though I already knew which side had already won.

_You HAVE to report this! Other kids could get really hurt!_

_But who else is going to go all the way down there? It isn't like its common to have tea parties in the dungeons._

_But what about that thing behind the door? What if it gets out?_

_And how do you propose to tell the Headmistress what you were doing when you discovered this?_

_But…_

_No buts. Besides, would you really sell out your best friend and your brother?_

Back and forth, back and forth, just like a Muggle tennis match. I was just thinking how the day couldn't have been any worse when the classroom door opened as we approached it, a stern face looking out.

"You're late."

**Thanks to:**

**Tory-unfortunatly, as much as I'd love to, I wont be able to update every day :( Real life gets in the way, and at the moment a lot of stressful things have been goin on. But I'll try to crank it out for you as much as possible, 'kay?**

**Avanell-yay!! glad you like it, still!! keep reading, again, sorry for the wait.**

**Johanna-yep, I'm tryin! feel free to complain if my work isnt up to snuff :P**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi! As usual, sorry for the wait *cringes away from reader-beatings* and I really have no good excuse this time….procrastination is a bad, bad thing! Not to mention this awful thing we have to do at school called Worlds Fair. (You get assigned a country that's part of the UN and you have to do this HUMONGO project on it. So, if anyone knows anything about Togo, feel free to say) **

**Chapter Four**

"But what could it have possibly been?"

"Hmm, a boggart, maybe? We had one back at the Burrow a couple years ago, it was kind of like that…"

"Maybe, but boggarts don't shock people, do they?"

"Then a wrackspurt? Luna said—"

"Hugo. No offence, but from what Rosie's told me, your godmother is crazy. Not a wrackspurt. "

"Then what do _you _think it was, Puff Pants?"

"Puff Pants? _Puff Pants?!"_

I groaned, rubbing my temples. The two boys had been bickering over the event for the past four days, and it was starting to wear me out. I had made many trips to the Library, often during mealtimes, (the less than usual amount of nourishment was not helping my mood) and still hadn't found a thing.

Scorpius had tried to persuade me to go into the Restricted Section, but I wouldn't hear of it. If we had gotten caught…. I shuddered at the picture of a very angry Filch, pushing it from my mind before looking back at the heavy volume on my lap. It was almost two in the morning, and my exhaustion paired with the warm comfort of the Common Room, was making the words on the page blur. I shut my eyes for one moment, trying to gather the energy for another thirty minutes of research…

"Hey! I do _not _look like a peacock! You should speak for yourself, you stuffed howler monkey!"

"Howler monkey? I don't even know what that is, and I know I don't look like one!"

"Maybe not, but you smell like one!"

"SHUT UP, THE BOTH OF YOU!"

I threw my book at the oak table, finishing my bellow with a nice thud. The two baboons stared at me, each mouth open with unsaid insults.

"Thank you. Now, are you planning to help me, or are you going to sit there acting like cavemen?"

Silence.

"Fine. This is the last bloody book in the whole library with any hope of information, and I am halfway through it and haven't found _anything. _And what have you two done? NOTHING!"

"Wait, Rosie, how could you have possibly read all those books in less than ninety hours?"

I held in my scream of frustration, staring, exasperated, at Scorpius. Biting my lip, I picked _Destruction of the Dark _back up again and hid behind it. As expected, within a minute, the boys were back to bickering. I tried to focus, blotting out the incredulous noises.

_The feeling of dread and impending sense that all that I loved was gone to the Other Side was slowly taking me over…I knew that a Pograbin, or perhaps a horde of them was following me, but something told me that my pitiful magycks would not help. This was not right… my father taught me the defense spell against these soul destroying creatures, but nothing came to my mind…_

Indeed, a feeling of dread was taking me over…this was ridiculous. Now, if I ever wanted to discover what had tempted and attacked us that afternoon, it probably meant breaking the rules. Skipping class and exploring wasn't that bad, because there was less chance you would get caught. But something this blatant, and something so suspicious as to why we were skimming Dark books? That could be a reason for _expulsion! _

Suddenly, a pale hand was before my face. I jumped, the book sliding off my lap, the thud making me jump _again. _

"Rosie, whats been wrong with you lately? I know that fire is very cool, but you're not going to figure this out by staring into it for ten minutes."

"And don't roll your eyes at us, sis! You are _obsessed! _This is a school of magic, remember. All sorts of things could be here just because of that reason!"

I looked between Scorpius and Hugo, both had eyebrows raised and sympathetic looks on their faces.

The former came over and sat beside me, his arm around my shoulders.

"Listen, we'll help you if you want us to, but we don't want to talk about this every minute of the day. It's fun to contemplate about, and we _are _curious, if you didn't notice us fighting the past couple times we brought it up," Snort. "but can you stop having OCD over it? Please?"

Grudgingly, I nodded, nudging my book slowly away with my toe. Scorpius nodded, smiling. He bent down to pick up the book, flipping it open to a random page. A picture of a gruesomely mangled man was sketched across the two pages. I felt the boy next to me cringe as I did; I prayed silently that whatever lay beyond that door would not do that to any of us, and tried to clear my mind of the thought, but the picture still stuck in my mind long after the book was shut.

_The door lay before me, and suddenly my hand was on the doorknob. This time, nothing happened to shock me, yet I was not relieved. That wasn't right. Shouldn't I be hurt? I stepped back from the door, yet it seemed as if a wall was at my back. The door swung open without my help; a pulsing light pushed from within. It tempted me, pulling me towards it…before I knew it, I was there! But I could not see beyond that light…I had to know! Something…something important…but I couldn't see! I pushed my hand out, trying to brush away the annoying thing. Instead, I felt a great tingling shaking my body, and something warm touched my bare feet._

_ I screamed as I swung around—there, on the floor, in a gruesomely bloody mass, lay a blond boy, with a face in the way of Scorpius's! I fell to the floor, expecting to be sick. But I could only scream…it intensified when another figure emerged from the darkness, dark liquid dribbling from his lips. My brother fell to floor beside my best friend; somehow, I knew he was dead. I reached a shaking hand towards him, but before I could, it was all brushed away, and I couldn't get there….I couldn't, I couldn't, I couldn't! _

"Rose! Rose, wake up! _Wake up!" _ Someone was shaking me, very hard, and my teeth rattled in my skull. It was very dark and very warm, but something cold trickled down the back of my neck.

"Hugo? Wheres Hugo? _Wheres my brother?! _I have to find him! I have to find him!" I yelled to the pale faces that I had merely seconds ago taken in. Who were they? I tried to hit at them, to get away…

"Rosie, it's alright! Hugo's in bed, in his dorm! You just had a nightmare. Its alright, its all okay now!" Suddenly, the reality came rushing to my head. I _knew _that voice! And those faces! And this was my bed! I sat straight up, shoving the girl away from me. No, no blood…no corpses…no light. I looked around again at my concerned dorm mates; yes, there was Casey, and Tessa, and Martinique, and Diana, and Chloe, the girl who was shaking me, and Elissa, who looked as if she had been crying. No evil spirits.

I gave a shaky sigh, leaning into Marti's brown arm as she slung it over my shoulders.

"Girl, what happened there? I have heard of bad nightmares, but you sounded as if you were beaten in your sleep!"

I opened my mouth to say, but forming the words reminded me of the horror, and a dry sob escaped my throat.

"Come on, Marti, give her some air. I think she'll be better in the morning, but right now she needs her own bubble," Casey said quietly, always the peacemaker. she backed away from the audience, hands twitching nervously against her blonde braid. Tessa and Diana, the twins, simultaneously hugged me, and followed Casey's lead. Chloe smiled sympathetically, and also returned to her bed, curtains snapping shut after her.

Elissa and Marti, probably the two closest to me, offered to stay, but right then a sudden feeling of crowdedness washed over me, and I waved them away. As soon as my curtains were fastened, however, I was suddenly lonely. I knew I couldn't sleep, not after that. So I lay back onto my cold pillow, staring at the designs of the canopy above me.

_What should I do? This isn't a coincidence…it cant be! _

_I have to tell Hugo…what if he and Scorpius go down there again? _

_What if they find a way through the door?_

Cursing my rancid luck, and wishing that I was fifteen and not so unskilled, I swung myself out of bed and slipped to the common room. The portrait hole looked incredibly inviting; if I could just take a page out of Hugo's book….no. I was in enough trouble already.

But the silence of the common room was pounding against my ears, and I desperately needed something to do to get my mind off the dream.

Books, for once, probably would not have an answer for me. What book tells you how to get rid of your fears?

That's it.

A spell for bravery! Maybe then we could solve this simply by going through the door! But all that research…where would we find such a spell?

Granted, it would take some master magic, especially to get past that cursed door…but with my brains, and Scorpius's magic skills, we could do it! And Hugo could easily sneak us down there again…

_But what if someone got hurt again? _Something whispered in the back of my mind, but I brushed it away like a fly. Who needs extra lamenting when you have a plan? Indeed, my mind was on a role, and I wasn't about to give up now!

I leapt up from the cushions before the fire, pulling my sweatshirt over my head, and stepped towards the portrait hole. I had one leg over the rim before I remembered that it was little past midnight, I was wearing pajamas, I had no backup, and, oh yeah, _no idea what I was doing. _

Genius. Simply genius.

"Well, are you going out or not? Hurry up, I need my beauty sleep, you know!" said the Fat Lady, annoyed. Too preoccupied to respond, I turned back in, my eyes coming to rest on…the stairs to the boy's dorm? Hugo. Books on rare spells…The Restricted Section. Hugo. Restricted Section. Hugo. The two fit together like peanut butter and banana. My plan was back in action.

_Slap. Slap. Slap. Slap. _

Why did feet have to be so noisy? I thought to myself, plodding up the boy's dorm stairs. Luckily, Hogwarts found girls much more trustworthy than boys, as whenever they tried to get up our stairs, it turned into a slide, shooting them right into the common room. Quite fun, actually, for the slide stayed for nigh an hour afterwards.

As I neared the peak of the stairs, I shook the random thoughts from my head, focusing on what I was going to say. And how _not _to wake the other four boys in the room.

Oh, hell. The door _would _give an awful creak. I paused, listening hard, my muscles quivering.

Not a sound.

Oh, the dumb darkness was throwing my perception totally out of whack. And that nightmare…_one hippogriff, two hippogriff, three hippogriff...remember the no thinking rule…four hippogriff, five hippogriff…_

Now, what was that spell for light that we learned in Charms this week? Lunos? Luna? Lammas?

"_Lumos!"_ I declared with glee, grinning as the milky light exploded from the tip of my wand.

"BLOODY HELL!"

"Who turned on the lights?"

"We are _trying _to sleep, here!"

"For cryin' out loud!"

The triumphant smile slid off my face like raindrops on a window. Glowing in the light were five angry faces from the beds, each ready to seize their wands. I looked around at them, desperately scraping for a reason to be there.

Wait, where was Hugo?! He wasn't there, _he wasn't there! _

I turned frantically, my wildly swinging wand creating a dizzying strobe effect. But the dream _couldn't _be true! It didn't make sense!

"It's Rose!"

"What in the name of—what is she doing here?"

"Hey, somebody wake Hugo. Make it his problem."

I jerked to alertness at the familiar voices, hence alerting me to the raucous snoring coming from the corner. Scorpius's face peeked out of the curtains of the next bed over; he looked mildly worried. Setting my hot face, I marched over , tearing my brother's curtain open. Once again, my 'magnificent' plan did not work. The bloody boy just turned over and snored on.

"Hey, Rosie, what is it? It's nearly three in the morning!" Scorpius whispered in my ear; I didn't notice him getting out of bed.

"If you must insist upon being here, turn off that light!" called Ahmad Bahjji, another boy in my year.

My face getting even hotter, I flicked my wand, letting the milky brightness fade. The patting of feet let me know that Al was feeling his way over to our little assembly.

"Come on guys; let's go down to the common room. Then can we go back to sleep? I have to get up early and do my Potions homework tomorrow," he whispered, leaning forwards to poke Hugo gingerly in the side. My twin groaned, cracking open an eye, glaring.

"Whazzamatta? Isitmornin al…al…already?" he yawned again, struggling up.

Scorpius put a finger to his lips, pointing towards the door. Confused though he was (as usual…) Hugo pushed himself out of bed, and trudged grumpily towards the door.

The three of us followed in a train of whispered steps, trying not to antagonize the other boys more.

The light felt extremely welcoming; I inwardly sighed with relief when my two best friend's faces completely lit up. _Just a dream…just a dream…one hippogriff, two hippogriff…_

"Alright, what in the name of Merlin's pants did you wake me up for? I was having such a good dream about Honeydukes!" Hugo grumbled, falling down into an overstuffed armchair. Al followed suit, his eyelids drooping slightly. Glancing at the blonde boy beside me, I proceeded to explain my dream to the others.

Al, as suspected, gasped as I described the carnage; he was so pale, I was afraid he would faint!

Hugo's eyes were wide, clearly realizing something I didn't. "But…what if this is your Sight coming back? I'm too young—and handsome—to die!"

"What—what Sight?" I racked my brains for anything familiar in this sentence, but the files came up blank. Blank as a summer sky.

"Don't you _remember? _When you were five, you had this dream about Dad getting badly burned at work, and you were so scared he stayed home for you! That day, Wheeze's had a huge explosion in the back room! Remember how Uncle George's hair got singed off? And that time when you had a gut feeling that something wonderful was going to happen, and that week in Muggle School you got nominated for Best Second Grade Artist?"

"But Hugo! That went away when I was eight! And besides, in happened so rarely, it must have just been coincidences," I said, more to reassure myself than anything else. I had nearly forgotten about what Mum had dubbed my 'Sight' all those years ago. There wasn't a drop of Seer blood in my veins!

"But…but what if he's right?" Scorpius whispered, for the first time ever looking truly scared.

"Listen, it's all just hodge podge! There is no way I am psychic. I am half Muggle born, my father comes from an exceptionally unexceptional family, and if I am psychic, Auntie Muriel is Ms Oklahoma!"

But none of us were convinced.

And none of us knew what to do.

And worst of all, we had no idea what was going to happen.

Or when.

Or how.

But my personal nightmare was the chance of losing them. I couldn't live with that.

But none of us were convinced.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Hey, guys! I'm sorry I didn't post thank-you's last chapter; I finished it really late at night, or rather, very early in the morning, and was just too exhausted. So expect double at the end today! =)**

My Sight wasn't back. Wouldn't I have noticed? Wouldn't I somehow _know? _I tried to explain this to the boys, but Al was too frightened that the other two were going to die soon, and Hugo had given Scorpius and himself quite a scare as well.

"Even if it is back, we won't let that happen. I have a plan!" I said, trying to take our minds off the subject of Seers.

"and, you should be extra shocked. It involves breaking rules."

Hugo's slim right eyebrow rose, and he seemed to recoil slightly with surprise. He opened his mouth, to make a snide comment undoubtedly, but I ignored him. Once again center stage was on me as I explained my so-called plan, though it was seemingly stupider and stupider the more I talked. As soon as I finished, I was met with dead silence besides the crackling of the fire, breathing, and a faint rustling/footsteps from upstairs. Suddenly, Scorpius spoke sharply out,

"Well I'll use the spell. I'll finish off whatever's behind the door. I mean, I think, seeing as I touched it first, I'm supposed to be the one to do it," he explained, determination across his sharp features.

"No," I exclaimed, immediately rounding on him. "You can't! What if something bad happens? What would we do then? I'm going to do it. Me and Al, _right, _Albus?" the boy shrunk back into his chair as I now rounded on him, looking lost.

"Think of what Uncle Harry would say if you did! He would be so proud," I coaxed, now trying the 'Uncle Harry' approach. After all, he _had _saved the Sorcerer's Stone in his first year. Seeing as Al was his descendant, it was only fitting.

He sank lower down, though he nodded timidly. I smiled, nodding appreciatively. Who said blackmail had bad effects?

One boy down, two to go.

Scorpius was still stuttering about how I shouldn't risk my life and blah blah blah, while dear Hugo was watching the goings-on with a look of slight amusement and worry.

"Mmkay, Hugo. You have to be the one to get us into the Library, alright? Please? You can't ignore these puppy eyes," I stated as he began to refuse, pouting slightly. "And think of what amazing things you might find there, too!"

Without waiting for a reply, I turned back to Scorpius, who had collapsed onto the couch, looking slightly defeated. His chin rested in his hand, and he refused to meet my eyes.

"Oh come on. I need to have my moment, too, right?" Silence. "Please just help me, okay? You are my best friend, Scorpius Malfoy, and you can't let me down." He mumbled something unintelligible from behind his fingers.

"What was that you said…?" I leaned forward a bit, trying my best to imitate my mother when she interrogated Dad about something.

"What if something bad happens, huh?" he said, louder, turning away.

"Fine. If you are so worried, then you can come with me. And since when have you become so protective of me?" I added before the Malfoy could even open his mouth. As expected, he didn't answer.

"Since I finally got….oh just never mind!" Scorpius through a hand into the air, putting a stop to my questions. He turned back towards the fire, obviously fuming about something.

As I went to sit down beside him, I suddenly felt incredibly regretful. Great, I was just bringing the dream closer to coming true. The very thing I was trying to prevent. Overnight, I had gone from being _normal, _to having psychotic nightmares, to _wanting _to break rules and coming up with ridiculous plans, to putting everyone in danger around me. This was pretty exhausting for a typical eleven year old, let me tell you.

Life stinks, sometimes.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

"Alright, are we all ready?" Hugo whispered into the silence. We were huddled under Al's Invisibility Cloak (Uncle Harry had given it to him as an 11th birthday gift) just inside the Portrait Hole. The clock above the spacious fireplace had just chimed midnight, the perfect time for such escapades.

"No…" Scorpius muttered from my left. He was still sore about the whole situation, two days later, though it had placated him slightly that he got to go with me in the climax of the process.

"Aw be quiet, party pooper," my twin, as expected, couldn't pass the opportunity up.

"Well, Mister—"

"Be quiet! We could get in enough trouble without you two botching up the plan! Can we go already?"

This outburst, surprisingly, came from the owner of our disguise. Though usually the peacemaker of our little group, _this _was unexpected.

"Well, well, well! Al, I'd never had thought you had it in you," I said appreciatively. "But he's right, can we go?"

"Stop." We all jumped equally high at the voice, resulting in the Cloak getting twisted in our feet and falling in a heap on the floor.

"You can't do this." The voice said powerfully. Wait…I recognized that voice! But why would she…?

"Marti, what in the name of Dumbledore's biggest fruit basket are you doing?" I hissed from the carpeted floor. She wouldn't betray us like that!

"I want go with you. I heard you talking the other night, and you aren't going without me!" _oh for the love of God, not another one…._

A collaborative sigh was held. Could this month _not _get any worse?

"Marti," I began, getting up, "Please. You seriously don't understand. You weren't there the first time, you don't get it!"

Her mocha face was set, round dark eyes set. She crossed thin arms, stepping towards us.

"No, I know. But I want to help. Either you let me go, or no-one goes at all." '_Who said blackmail doesn't end well was an idiot', what a load of crap. Oh, how I hate karma…_

"Ugh, just let the girl come, we don't have time to argue!" one of the boys said from behind me. Taking this as a _yes _conclusion, the intruder brushed past me.

"Wait—but, but—no, this—umph!" My spluttering was not registered by everyone else, as usual. Martinique, whom only 72 hours ago I had considered to be a good friend, had turned into a master blackmailer. Did I mention before that life sucks? Because most of the time, it does. Majorly.

Annoyed more than slightly, I followed the swinging black braids, rejoining the group. She was already brusquely accepted, and was lifting up the silvery Cloak with a slender finger. Al took it gently from her, pulling me over. With difficulty, because there were so many of us, he swung it over our shoulders. Unfortunately, we had to squish together in a human blob, and it still didn't cover our little get together all the way. Scorpius had to put an arm around me, and I was pushed against Marti's back.

As you can bet, this was incredibly uncomfortable, and it took us nearly half an hour to make it to the Library because of our stunted shuffle. Luckily, Filch's old age had prevented him from staying out this late, and we didn't meet up with any prefects on the way over. If even Mrs Norris had happened to be around the corner, we would have been pot roast. So as you can imagine, the sound of Hogwart's Libraries dusty door clicking shut was an immense relief.

Hugo gestured with a finger to his lips, and led the way to the very back and most neglected part of the old room.

The glass paneled doors had no knobs, and thick black velvet curtains were pulled across them. A thick cord, too, was included in preventing students from entering. This didn't deter my brother, however. He pulled out his wand from up his sleeve, and merely tapped the rope, muttering an unheard spell.

The cord slithered into a mid-air coil, and the doors opened without a sound. Anxiously, a tense vibe to the air, we slipped forth; the door and the rope putting themselves as they were behind us.

"What now?" Marti whispered, stepping out from under the cloak. The rest of us followed suit, slinking farther inside to resist being seen.

"Well, Rosie, you tell us. You're the master of this plan, anyhow," Al said.

"Uhm, ok…well, let's split. We can get things done faster. Don't open anything without a title, and search for the spell and any info on the _thing." _ With that, we all scuttled off in different directions, bobbing wand tips being the only source of illumination.

The books here were dark, bound in rank leather. The few that had names embossed on them were gruesome, or written in mysterious languages, and a select few didn't even have words on their pages.

The books seemed to leer at me, beckoning me to open them, to _use _them. One, when I trailed my fingers over its spine, even tried to pull my hand into its binding. No wonder they were in the Restricted Section. Why would a school even _have _these books?

I walked further into the _M _section. There was a whole shelf here dedicated to a series called _Magical Mangling. _ As I turned away from the gross thought, another book caught my eye. It lay away from its place on the shelf, instead it perched quite innocently on a study table. All black, it was, with a single word embossed in gold on its cover. _Memories. _

I don't know why, but the title sounded intriguing in a way, drawing me closer every second my eyes rested on it. Lacking realization that I was doing it, my feet pulled me to the leather bound pages, and I found my fingers stretching to touch it. Not once did it occur to me that this could be a trap, a danger, a way to control.

"Now what are you on about?" I whispered to the closed pages as I lifted it from the oak table. Something…curious vibrated about the thing.

As I inspected it closer, my wand illuminated a rift in the pages. _What the…? _Half frightened of what would emerge, I hesitantly flipped to the break.

My heart gave a slightly painful lurch at the sight of a white something dropping to the ground. I was lucky I didn't give a shout or a jump; I had seen it out of the corner of my eye, and being already on edge, my body wanted to go into "Fight or Flight" mode.

Dropping the book back to its resting place, I fell to my knees, stuffing my still-lit wand hastily back into my sock on the way down. Hands frantically felt the carpeted floor for what must have been a weighted piece of parchment, mind ringing with possibilities.

_Aha…_ I swear my fingers nearly tingled with anticipation as they touched the thing. Bringing it closer to the light, I realized with even greater glee that it was an _envelope! _

Envelopes held things, secrets, keys! And there was something that told me this had to do with the door, though the reactions were so different.

Snuffing out the desire to rip it open right there, I pushed the pale envelope into my pocket. I seized my wand from my sock, grabbed _Memories, _and set off to find the others.

Hugo, as expected, had hardly done a thing, but I was still highly suspicious of what sorts of things he had found out about. Dangerous jinks and his conniving little mind did not go well, and would probably only end in tears.

Al had stuck close with Marti, and they came away with a few books on the Darkest sort of protecting spells and guarding curses. As it turned out, Marti's father was an Auror, so she had a little more insight on where to look. This blessing redeemed her a little in my mind; I couldn't really be angry with her much more, anyhow.

Scorpius stated that he had looked in hundreds of books, but he couldn't find anything on the spell.

"But I can just write Father and ask him if he has any idea. He'll never give a second thought to my request, I promise you that," he stated, airily waving his hand at the idea of us searching more.

We would have gone over everything right then and there, but the clock chimed one o'clock, and we were all pretty exhausted, anyhow. Cramping ourselves under the Cloak once more, we scurried quickly through the halls, fearful of Mrs Norris. But her round yellow eyes never appeared, and we made it safely back.

_Whew, I'm actually not minding this breaking the rules thing any more, after all we've been through. _I said to myself, with a slight semblance of pride, when we arrived at the welcoming warmth of the Gryffindor Common Room.

Once we were all seated, knees touching, on the carpet before the roaring fire, I took out the envelope.

It was heavier than I recalled, as if it was held down by a dark secret. Perhaps, hopefully, it was.

Slowly, drawing out the moment, I slit the flap with my thumbnail, waiting to turn it upside down. Closing my eyes, letting the sound of the crackling embers and my friend's breathing relax me, i slowly reached in the parchment.

Something cold, something metal, met my fingers. I opened my eyes, lifting the thing. It was, of all things, a tiny brass key on a silver necklace chain, an intricate design of ivy carved into the stem.

"Here," whispered Scorpius, holding a pale hand out. I lightly dropped the necklace into his palm, whence he investigated it with precision before passing it on.

"Rosie, was there a note?" said Marti, taking the envelope from my lap. The African girl neatly slipped two fingers into the packet, searching for a moment. "Aha!" she had found it. A torn slip of yellowed paper, rolled and flattened.

Al, the last to receive it, gently put the key and chain on the marble hearth, and kneeled eagerly forwards as Marti flattened the parchment. The firelight flickered almost ominously against the inked words, narrowly scripted upon imaginary lines.

_Greetings, finder, searcher, explorer;_

_Whence you have found me, you must know what you are looking for. One, chosen to Know. One, chosen to Save. One, chosen to Find. One, chosen to Go. And one, one chosen to Sojourn. _

_Good luck, my friends, be aware. Nothing is as it seems, as soon as you think know you are wrong. Past is present, future is gone, present is yesterday. Tomorrow will come, because it is not too late. It will never be too late. _

_Remember always, those who search for that which cannot be found will die miserable. _

_Best of luck be with you,_

_Memories. _


End file.
